Methods for producing a glass-based non planar digital display

ABSTRACT

A method of producing a curved display for an electronic device comprises providing a substrate comprising a first curvable section comprising at least one flat glass member and a second longitudinally adjacent planar section, placing the curvable section in contact with a member having a curved surface, urging the curvable section towards the curved surface of the member and maintaining the curvable section in a curved configuration to thereby form the curved display having the adjacent planar section. A curved display and a mobile device having a curved display are also disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/823,332 filed on May 14, 2013, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices having curved, non-planar displays can provide advantagesin ergonomics compared to the typical planar displays that are widelyused. Display manufacturers have attempted to build non-planar displaysusing both LCD and OLED technologies. Some have attempted fabricate suchdisplays with glass substrates and others with plastic substratematerials. Manufacturing challenges have prevented mass production todate.

Early efforts to form curved LCDs faced difficulties with MURA artifactsand luminance nonuniformity. The MURA artifacts arose from bendingforces affecting cell gap uniformity in the liquid crystal cell. Theluminance non-uniformity resulted from the difficulty in creating curvedbacklights with suitably uniform backlight distribution.

OLEDs are not subject to cell gap or backlight concerns, but theirstringent requirements for moisture and oxygen barriers presentsimilarly formidable difficulties. Glass frit seals used with glasssubstrates are a viable barrier solution, but unsuited to curved displayapplications. Thus, the future for a curved OLED display will likelyrequire specially manufactured plastic substrates. This approach willresult in a higher cost of manufacturing and challenges in flexiblemoisture and oxygen barrier encapsulation.

Electrophoretic display media is well-adapted to curved devices. Thistechnology is a good fit for e-readers, but its slow switching speed andpoor colors make it a weak choice for the competitive mobile devicedisplay arena.

It would be advantageous to provide a non-planar or curved display andassociated methods of production that address some of the drawbacks ofthe currently available technology.

SUMMARY

Described below are a method of producing a curved display, a curveddisplay and a mobile device having a curved display that address some ofthe drawbacks of conventional approaches.

According to a method implementation, a method of producing a curveddisplay for an electronic device comprises providing a substratecomprising a first curvable section comprising at least one flat glassmember and a second longitudinally adjacent planar section, placing thecurvable section in contact with a member having a curved surface,urging the curvable section towards the curved surface of the member,and maintaining the curvable section in a curved configuration tothereby form the curved display having the adjacent planar section.

The substrate can comprise a display module in contact with the flatglass member. The second planar section can comprise an operativelyconnected LED array, and the method can further comprise measuringbrightness across the curvable section of substrate and moving thesecond planar section relative to the first curvable section to achievea desired uniformity in measured brightness.

The member can be a curved cover lens transparent to UV light. Measuringbrightness can comprise using a camera directed through the cover lensat the curvable section of the substrate. Maintaining the curved sectionin the curved configuration can comprise directing UV radiation on thecurvable section of the substrate once the desired uniformity inmeasured brightness is achieved to cure UV sensitive adhesive appliedbetween the curvable section and the curved cover lens.

Urging the substrate towards the curved surface of the member cancomprise pressing an intermediate portion of the curvable section intocontact with an aligned intermediate portion of the member andsubsequently pressing outer portions of the curvable section on eitherside of the intermediate portion into contact with aligned outerportions of the member.

The curved configuration of the curvable section can have a radius ofcurvature of about 400 mm to about 1000 mm. The flat glass member canhave a thickness of about 0.05 mm to about 0.30 mm.

The flat glass member can be a first flat glass member, and there can bea second flat glass member aligned with the first flat glass member.

The method can further comprise providing a resilient member in contactwith the curvable section and urging the resilient member towards themember by exerting force through the curvable section. The resilientmember can comprise closed cell foam.

The adjacent planar portion can be adapted to receive a circuitcomponent.

In a method implementation, the at least one flat glass member can be afirst flat glass member, the curvable section can comprise UV curableadhesive and a second flat glass member separated from the first flatglass member by a display module, and the method can include subjectingthe curvable section to UV radiation, and wherein maintaining thecurvable section in the curved configuration comprises removing thecurvable section from the member after the UV adhesive has cured. Themember can be transparent to UV radiation.

According to one implementation, a curved display for an electronicdevice, comprises a substrate comprising a first curved section and alongitudinally adjacent second planar section, the first curved sectioncomprising at least one flat glass member bent into a curvedconfiguration, wherein the second planar section comprises a circuitcomponent mounted to a surface of the planar section.

The curved display can comprise a curved member attached to one side ofthe curved section to hold the curved section in the curvedconfiguration. The curved member can be a first curved member, and thecurved display can comprise a second curved member attached to anopposite side of the curved section. The first member can comprise acover lens and the second member can comprise an internal chassiselement.

According to one implementation, a mobile device having a curved displaycomprises a curved cover lens and a substrate comprising a first curvedsection and a longitudinally adjacent second planar section. The firstcurved section comprises an LCD display element having at least one flatglass member bent into a curved configuration to substantially followthe curvature of curved cover lens. The second planar section comprisesan LED array operable to illuminate the LCD display element. The secondplanar section is movable to adjust uniformity of brightness in the LCDdisplay before the substrate is affixed to the cover lens.

The first curved section can be adhered to the curved cover lens with aUV curable adhesive. The adhesive can be effective to fill a gap ofabout 0.02 mm to about 0.10 mm between the substrate and the curvedcover lens.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are schematic side views of a substrate that includes adisplay module and a member before, during and after being assembledtogether into a curved display.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic side views similar to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,but showing another implementation of the curved display.

FIG. 7A is a schematic side view showing another implementation of thecurved display.

FIG. 7B is a schematic side view of a curved display implemented usingOLED technology.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are top plan and side views of another implementation ofthe components of the curved display.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of the profile of the curved display.

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are schematic side elevation views of a curveddisplay being assembled according to a conventional method.

FIG. 14 is a schematic side elevation view of the curved display ofFIGS. 11-13 being adjusted to increase the uniformity of its brightness.

FIG. 15 is a schematic side elevation view of a curved display beingassembled according to a new method.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side elevation view of the curved display of FIG.15 being adjusted automatically to increase the uniformity of itsbrightness.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram depicting an exemplary mobile device withwhich any of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a generalized example of asuitable implementation environment for any of the disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating a generalized example of asuitable computing environment for any of the disclosed embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New technology developments in the manufacture of glass sheets and othermaterials used to make displays have enabled extremely thin sheets to bemanufactured, even as thin as 50-300 microns per sheet (0.050 to 0.300mm).

For LCD displays, it has been found that displays made using these glasssubstrates can be bent into 2D curved shapes with bend radius of about400 mm to about 1000 mm, or even about 200 mm to about 1000 mm, can beachieved without losing functionality. A bend radius in this rangeenables unique device form factors with advantages in displayperformance and ergonomics. In addition, such displays can be builtinexpensively using existing LCD manufacturing equipment. These glassdisplays have an inherent optical advantage relative to plastic displaysdue to the superior optical properties of glass. These displays can beused in mobile devices to provide better ergonomics, low display powerconsumption, and a significant cost advantage relative to emergingplastic OLED technology.

FIGS. 1-3 are schematic views showing important steps of assembling andfabricating a curved display 10. As shown in FIG. 1, at least a firstsubstrate 12 is provided. Typically, each substrate includes at leastone glass layer, as well as a display component layer. In the case ofthe first substrate 12, there is a first glass layer 16 and a thin filmtransistor layer 18 provided on the first glass layer 16.

In the example of FIG. 1, there is also a second substrate 14. Thesecond substrate 14 has at least one glass layer, i.e., a second glasslayer 20, and a display component layer, e.g., a color filter layer 22,provided on the second glass layer 20. In the illustrated embodiment,the first substrate 12 and the second substrate 14 are positioned onopposite sides of a liquid crystal layer 24. The illustratedconfiguration of the first and second substrates 12, 14 and the liquidcrystal layer sealed between the substrates is also referred to hereinas the display module.

FIG. 1 also shows a support or forming member 26. As will be describedin more detail below, the member 26 may be initially planar (FIG. 1 andFIG. 2) before it is formed into a curved configuration, or it may havea curved configuration (FIG. 3) and serve as a form against which thefirst substrate 12 (or first and second substrates 12, 14) are urged totake on a curved configuration. In FIG. 1 (as well as in FIGS. 2-9), thebacklight unit has been omitted for clarity.

FIG. 2 shows the member 26 and the first and second substrates 12, 14 asassembled in contact with each other. In some implementations, themember 26 is adhered to an adjacent substrate. As illustrated in FIG. 2,the member 26 can be adhered to the second substrate 14. In someimplementations, the adhesive is not cured until the components havebeen shaped into their final form.

FIG. 3 shows the assembled member 26 and first and second substrates 12,14 after being formed or bent into a curved configuration to create thecurved display 10. In the schematic view of FIG. 3, the resultingcurvature is exaggerated for clarity. In the implementation shown inFIG. 3, the member 26 can be maintained as part of the curved display.For example, the member 26 can be a frame member (including a chassis)or a cover lens.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic views of a curved display 30 that issimilar to the curved display 10, except the curved display 30 is formedwith two support or forming members, i.e., the members 26, 28, on itsinner and outer sides. In FIG. 5, the members are shown in theirassembled condition adjacent the first substrate 12 and the secondsubstrate 14, respectively. As in the above implementation, adhesive maybe applied between one or both of the members and the adjacentsubstrate. In FIG. 6, the assembly of the members 26, 28 and thesubstrates 12, 14 is shown after it has been deformed or bent into acurved configuration to create the curved display 30.

In the implementation shown in FIG. 6, the members 26, 28 can bemaintained as part of the curved display, or different curved memberscould be substituted. For example, one of the members could be a coverlens and the other of the members could be a frame member (e.g.,chassis). For a concave display, the member 28 could be configured as acover lens (or other intermediate component on the working side of thedisplay), and the member 26 could be configured as a frame component orother internal component.

FIG. 7A is a schematic view of another implementation in which a curveddisplay module 40 does not have any supporting members. Thus, it is atleast one curved substrate that provides the curved configuration in theresulting curved display module. More specifically, in theimplementation of FIG. 7A, it is the first substrate 12 and the secondsubstrate 14 that together define the curved display module 40. Eachsubstrate is formed in a curved shape, such as by using a curved member,and then an assembly of both completed substrates with the liquidcrystal material sealed between the substrates is produced. The curveddisplay module 40 can be used with a curved cover lens, or, in somecases with a planar cover lens that is urged into a curved shape by thedisplay module.

FIG. 7B is a schematic side view of an implementation of a curveddisplay formed with OLED technology. Some available OLEDs have polyimidesubstrates and flexible encapsulation, so they can experience more shearstress without failure than more conventional OLEDs having a frit edgeseal, but currently only lower yields of such OLEDs are possible.

The OLED curved display of FIG. 7B, which is shown during assembly andbefore being shaped into the final curved configuration, however, has aglass TFT array backplane topped with flexible encapsulant. Thisconfiguration serves to both reduce the overall cost and yield lossesassociated with debonding plastic substrates while at the same timeovercoming the fragility of glass fit seals.

As shown, there is a display backplane 90, which is comprised of a thinglass substrate 92 and a TFT array 94 and its associated circuitry. Astack of OLED materials 96 is positioned adjacent the TFT array 94. Anencapsulating layer or moisture and oxygen barrier 98, which can beformed of alternating layers is organic and inorganic materials, isprovided over the stack of OLED materials 96. In a subsequent step, theintermediate assembly on the left is assembled together with a coverlens (or other shaping structure), which is represented at 99 on theright side and before it has been formed to have a curved configuration.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are top plan and side elevation views, respectively, of acurved display 50 according to another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8,there is a first substrate 44 (sometimes referred to as a “top glass”)that is aligned with and adjacent a second substrate 42 (sometimesreferred to as a “bottom glass”), which together form a sandwichconstruction with a liquid crystal layer 43 between the substrates 44,42.

One of the substrates has an extended portion for mounting a displayASIC or circuit component 52. As shown, the second substrate 42 has anextended portion that provides a space to mount the display circuitcomponent 53. In some implementations, the curved display 50 can beformed such that there is a planar extended section 46 extending from aremaining portion 48 that is free to be formed into the curvedconfiguration as shown in the schematic side view of FIG. 10. In thisway, the planar section 46 provides for secure mounting of the displaycircuit component 52 and reliable electrical connections withoutrequiring changes to the display circuit component 52, which can have aconventional configuration. Any supporting structure, such as a fixtureor frame member, can also be formed to have a corresponding planarsection to support the planar section 46. In other implementations, thesubstrate is continuously and more moderately curved such that diebonding or other operations to attach the circuit component 52 can becompleted without providing a separate planar section.

As described above, the display can be fabricated to have a curvedconfiguration. In some implementations, adhesive is applied betweenvarious components and they are then formed into the curvedconfiguration before the adhesive is cured. For example, inimplementations with two substrates, a UV-curable adhesive can beapplied between the substrates while they are in their substantiallyplanar state. The assembly is then formed into the curved configuration,and the adhesive is cured, which tends to make the pressure between thesubstrates more even and avoid sheering among the individual layers.

To implement these techniques for production, it may be advantageous tohave the motherglass substrates singulated prior to cell assembly andthen cleaned and dried prior to receiving any adhesive or epoxy.Conventional epoxy dispensers may need to be reconfigured to apply epoxyto substrates that have already been singulated. In someimplementations, the epoxied assemblies are supported in curved fixturesuntil the epoxy is sufficiently cured. It can be advantageous to makethe fixtures transparent to UV light such that the curing can take placewhile the substrates are held in the fixtures. In some implementations,the fixtures are then removed.

As also described above, once the substrate(s) has been bent or formedinto the curved configuration, it can be secured to a curved element ormember that remains in place in the final curved display. For example,the curved element or member can support the front side of the curveddisplay, which may comprise the display element, touch layers and coverglass, which may be laminated together. This curved element can bedesigned, e.g., as a cover lens in a predefined curved shape, such as acurved cover lens molded of glass. A different curved element or membercan be provided to support the rear side of the display or its frame,such as through the reflector and light guide, which may be laminatedtogether. The curved element for the rear side can be configured as aframe element, chassis or other internal component. The variouscomponents can be held in their desired positions to create the curvedconfiguration by using suitable mechanical fastening arrangements.Maintaining uniform pressure over the full extent of the display resultsin better performance.

As indicated, adhesive is used between some of the components in someimplementations. In some implementations, a resulting layer of adhesivecan be thicker, such as if the cover lens has topology because atouchscreen is formed on its inner surface. Thus, the adhesive layer(s)can be effective to fill gaps of about 0.02 mm to about 0.09 mm.

Also, one or more layers of foam or other resilient material can beintroduced into the assembly to assist in making the pressure exerted onthe substrate(s) more even. For example, closed cell foam installed overan inner side member or chassis allows for better assembly of thesubstrate onto the inner side member because the foam deforms slightlyas required to even out slight deformities in the substrate or themember and prevents too much pressure from being applied to the displayelement.

FIGS. 11-16 depict another example of a curved display and assemblymethods suitable for production. FIGS. 11-13 are schematic sideelevation views of a curved display 60 being assembled. As shown in FIG.11, a display component 62 is aligned with a cover lens 64, and adhesive66 is applied between these elements. The display component 62 can be aLCD display component that is capable of operating after being slightlybent or deformed from a planar configuration as shown in FIG. 11 into acurved configuration (e.g., as shown in FIG. 12). Specifically, thedisplay component 62 has one or more substrates having a curvablesection 68 and a longitudinally adjacent planar section 70, such as isdescribed above in FIG. 10. An LED array 72 is mounted on the planarsection 70 at a position slightly spaced from the end of the curvablesection 68. The LED array 72 serves to illuminate the display component62, as indicated by the triangular schematic illumination cone 74.

As indicated in FIG. 12, clamping force is applied to the cover lens 64and the display component 62 (either directly or indirectly) to causethe curvable section 68 to deform as desired to generally follow thecover lens 64 and promote good adhesion between the cover lens 64 andthe curvable section 68. In FIG. 13, a source of UV light 76 is directedonto the adhesive through the cover lens 64 to cure the adhesive. InFIG. 14, after the adhesive is cured, the performance of the displaycomponent 62 is evaluated. In particular, the LED array is connected sothat it can provide illumination throughout the display component, andthe resulting brightness is checked. As indicated schematically by thearrows, a display component with less than desired uniformity ofbrightness will have noticeable bright spots and dark spots.

It has been discovered that the uniformity of brightness in the displaycomponent 62 can be adjusted to an acceptable degree in manycircumstances by moving the planar section 70. As shown in FIG. 14, aforce can be applied, e.g., to urge the LED 72 array/end of the planarsection 70 to rotate very slightly in one direction or the other, thuscausing the coupling with the attached curvable section 68 to deformslightly and thus change the brightness of the display. When theadjustment takes place after the adhesive has cured, however, it must bedone delicately and typically in a manual fashion. Also, it can bedifficult to retain the display component in its adjusted position whenthe applied force is removed once the adhesive is already cured.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic side elevation views of the curved display60 being assembled according to another method. In FIG. 15, a camera 78is focused on the cover lens 64 and the display component 62 to measurechanges in the brightness of the display component. The displaycomponent 62 in this example has an array of backlight LEDs. After thedisplay component 62 and the cover lens are clamped together, but beforethe adhesive is cured, the display component's backlight LEDs areilluminated and the camera records the displayed brightness pattern. Thebrightness pattern information is processed to determine if it isacceptably uniform. If not, a program automatically controls a pair ofactuators 80 to move the planar section 70 and the brightness uniformityis evaluated again. This process is continued until a best possiblebrightness uniformity is achieved, such as by using a feedback loop.Optionally, the process can also be ended after a predetermined time ornumber of cycles. Once the adjustment process is complete, the programcontrols the source of UV radiation to emit UV light as shown in FIG. 16to cure the adhesive and thus secure the assembly together with thecurvable section 68 in the adjusted position. In this way, a relativelylow cost curved display is achieved from a standard display componentthat is bent into a curved configuration, automatically adjusted to haveacceptable brightness uniformity and then secured in the adjustedposition.

In implementations where one or more substrates are bent or formed intothe curved configuration, using very thin glass layers (including TFTand CF layers) that are sealed when in their planar configurations makesfabrication possible using existing liquid crystal assembly equipment.Some sheering may take place in and among the various layers of thecurved display as formed, but the display remains highly functional andthe sheering may not be noticeable to the user.

Any light guide present in the curved display can be adapted asappropriate for the curved configuration. For example, the light guidecan be modified as necessary to provide for more even distribution oflight from the backlight throughout the display. In someimplementations, the light guide can be provided with a new pattern ofsurface features designed to reduce light loss due to exit angle changesresulting from the curved configuration. In some implementations,optical modeling software can be used instead of or in conjunction withchanges to the light guide and other similar elements to ensure adequateillumination uniformity and optical properties in the curved display.

The curved display format provides many advantages. In implementationsof a concave display, a user-facing camera on the curved display ispointed slightly down (or slightly up) and thus is more direct pointedat the user in most circumstances compared to such a camera on a flatdisplay, which often tends to be pointing above or below the user'sface. Having a user-facing camera that more naturally captures the faceis advantageous in applications that use the camera, such as two-wayvideo calling.

The curved display also improves some detection operations. For example,a detector grid in a curved display configured to detect finger heightand angle of approach has better performance than a similar grid in aflat display because of the geometry of the concave display. In animplementation with a hover touch detector grid that detects fingerheight and angle of approach by relative signal strength, the detectorsin a curved display have greater signal strength when the finger is veryclose to the display and thus exhibit better performance.

As described above, a flat substrate (or display module comprising flatsubstrates) can be formed into a curved shape (1) by being placedbetween a curved cover lens and a curved internal member such as achassis, (2) by being urged, together with a flat cover lens, over acurved internal member or chassis and then formed to the curveconfiguration or (3) by being urged into a curved cover lens, therebycreating a curved display. As also described, the curved display can beachieved by using a curved display module formed from substrates thatare formed to have a curved configuration, and then fitting the curveddisplay module in a curved cover lens or using the curved display moduleto form a flat cover lens into a curved cover lens as assembled.

FIG. 17 is a system diagram depicting an exemplary mobile device 100including a variety of optional hardware and software components, showngenerally at 102. Any components 102 in the mobile device cancommunicate with any other component, although not all connections areshown, for ease of illustration. The mobile device can be any of avariety of computing devices (e.g., cell phone, smartphone, handheldcomputer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), etc.) and can allow wirelesstwo-way communications with one or more mobile communications networks104, such as a cellular or satellite network.

The illustrated mobile device 100 can include a controller or processor110 (e.g., signal processor, microprocessor, ASIC, or other control andprocessing logic circuitry) for performing such tasks as signal coding,data processing, input/output processing, power control, and/or otherfunctions. An operating system 112 can control the allocation and usageof the components 102 and support for one or more application programs114. The application programs can include common mobile computingapplications (e.g., email applications, calendars, contact managers, webbrowsers, messaging applications), or any other computing application.Functionality 113 for accessing an application store can also be usedfor acquiring and updating applications 114.

The illustrated mobile device 100 can include memory 120. Memory 120 caninclude non-removable memory 122 and/or removable memory 124. Thenon-removable memory 122 can include RAM, ROM, flash memory, a harddisk, or other well-known memory storage technologies. The removablememory 124 can include flash memory or a Subscriber Identity Module(SIM) card, which is well known in GSM communication systems, or otherwell-known memory storage technologies, such as “smart cards.” Thememory 120 can be used for storing data and/or code for running theoperating system 112 and the applications 114. Example data can includeweb pages, text, images, sound files, video data, or other data sets tobe sent to and/or received from one or more network servers or otherdevices via one or more wired or wireless networks. The memory 120 canbe used to store a subscriber identifier, such as an InternationalMobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and an equipment identifier, such asan International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI). Such identifierscan be transmitted to a network server to identify users and equipment.

The mobile device 100 can support one or more input devices 130, such asa touchscreen 132, microphone 134, camera 136, physical keyboard 138and/or trackball 140 and one or more output devices 150, such as aspeaker 152, a main display 154, and/or one or more secondary displays156. Other possible output devices (not shown) can include piezoelectricor other haptic output devices. Some devices can serve more than oneinput/output function. For example, touchscreen 132 and displays 154,156 can be combined in a single input/output device. The input devices130 can include a Natural User Interface (NUI). An NUI is any interfacetechnology that enables a user to interact with a device in a “natural”manner, free from artificial constraints imposed by input devices suchas mice, keyboards, remote controls, and the like. Examples of NUImethods include those relying on speech recognition, touch and stylusrecognition, gesture recognition both on screen and adjacent to thescreen, air gestures, head and eye tracking, voice and speech, vision,touch, gestures, and machine intelligence. Other examples of a NUIinclude motion gesture detection using accelerometers/gyroscopes, facialrecognition, 3D displays, head, eye, and gaze tracking, immersiveaugmented reality and virtual reality systems, all of which provide amore natural interface, as well as technologies for sensing brainactivity using electric field sensing electrodes (EEG and relatedmethods). Thus, in one specific example, the operating system 112 orapplications 114 can comprise speech-recognition software as part of avoice user interface that allows a user to operate the device 100 viavoice commands. Further, the device 100 can comprise input devices andsoftware that allows for user interaction via a user's spatial gestures,such as detecting and interpreting gestures to provide input to a gamingapplication.

A wireless modem 160 can be coupled to an antenna (not shown) and cansupport two-way communications between the processor 110 and externaldevices, as is well understood in the art. The modem 160 is showngenerically and can include a cellular modem for communicating with themobile communication network 104 and/or other radio-based modems (e.g.,Bluetooth 164 or Wi-Fi 162). The wireless modem 160 is typicallyconfigured for communication with one or more cellular networks, such asa GSM network for data and voice communications within a single cellularnetwork, between cellular networks, or between the mobile device and apublic switched telephone network (PSTN).

The mobile device can further include at least one input/output port180, a power supply 182, a satellite navigation system receiver 184,such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, an accelerometer186, and/or a physical connector 190, which can be a USB port, IEEE 1394(FireWire) port, and/or RS-232 port. The illustrated components 102 arenot required or all-inclusive, as any components can be deleted andother components can be added.

FIG. 18 illustrates a generalized example of a suitable implementationenvironment 200 in which described embodiments, techniques, andtechnologies may be implemented.

In example environment 200, various types of services (e.g., computingservices) are provided by a cloud 210. For example, the cloud 210 cancomprise a collection of computing devices, which may be locatedcentrally or distributed, that provide cloud-based services to varioustypes of users and devices connected via a network such as the Internet.The implementation environment 200 can be used in different ways toaccomplish computing tasks. For example, some tasks (e.g., processinguser input and presenting a user interface) can be performed on localcomputing devices (e.g., connected devices 230, 240, 250) while othertasks (e.g., storage of data to be used in subsequent processing) can beperformed in the cloud 210.

In example environment 200, the cloud 210 provides services forconnected devices 230, 240, 250 with a variety of screen capabilities.Connected device 230 represents a device with a computer screen 235(e.g., a mid-size screen). For example, connected device 230 could be apersonal computer such as desktop computer, laptop, notebook, netbook,or the like. Connected device 240 represents a device with a mobiledevice screen 245 (e.g., a small size screen). For example, connecteddevice 240 could be a mobile phone, smart phone, personal digitalassistant, tablet computer, or the like. Connected device 250 representsa device with a large screen 255. For example, connected device 250could be a television screen (e.g., a smart television) or anotherdevice connected to a television (e.g., a set-top box or gaming console)or the like. One or more of the connected devices 230, 240, 250 caninclude touchscreen capabilities. Touchscreens can accept input indifferent ways. For example, capacitive touchscreens detect touch inputwhen an object (e.g., a fingertip or stylus) distorts or interrupts anelectrical current running across the surface. As another example,touchscreens can use optical sensors to detect touch input when beamsfrom the optical sensors are interrupted. Physical contact with thesurface of the screen is not necessary for input to be detected by sometouchscreens. Devices without screen capabilities also can be used inexample environment 200. For example, the cloud 210 can provide servicesfor one or more computers (e.g., server computers) without displays.

Services can be provided by the cloud 210 through service providers 220,or through other providers of online services (not depicted). Forexample, cloud services can be customized to the screen size, displaycapability, and/or touchscreen capability of a particular connecteddevice (e.g., connected devices 230, 240, 250). In some embodiments,connected devices having more than one display can communicate with thecloud 210 to receive updates 225 and/or changes to their display logic,such as the change way in which the different screens are used toperform various functions.

In example environment 200, the cloud 210 provides the technologies andsolutions described herein to the various connected devices 230, 240,250 using, at least in part, the service providers 220. For example, theservice providers 220 can provide a centralized solution for variouscloud-based services. The service providers 220 can manage servicesubscriptions for users and/or devices (e.g., for the connected devices230, 240, 250 and/or their respective users).

FIG. 19 depicts a generalized example of a suitable computingenvironment 300 in which the described innovations may be implemented.The computing environment 300 is not intended to suggest any limitationas to scope of use or functionality, as the innovations may beimplemented in diverse general-purpose or special-purpose computingsystems. For example, the computing environment 300 can be any of avariety of computing devices (e.g., desktop computer, laptop computer,server computer, tablet computer, media player, gaming system, mobiledevice, etc.)

With reference to FIG. 13, the computing environment 300 includes one ormore processing units 310, 315 and memory 320, 325. In FIG. 3, thisbasic configuration 330 is included within a dashed line. The processingunits 310, 315 execute computer-executable instructions. A processingunit can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), a processor in an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or any other type of processor. In a multi-processingsystem, multiple processing units execute computer-executableinstructions to increase processing power. For example, FIG. 19 shows acentral processing unit 310 as well as a graphics processing unit orco-processing unit 315. The tangible memory 320, 325 may be volatilememory (e.g., registers, cache, RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM,EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two, accessibleby the processing unit(s). The memory 320, 325 stores software 380implementing one or more innovations described herein, in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions suitable for execution by theprocessing unit(s).

A computing system may have additional features. For example, thecomputing environment 300 includes storage 340, one or more inputdevices 350, one or more output devices 360, and one or morecommunication connections 370. An interconnection mechanism (not shown)such as a bus, controller, or network interconnects the components ofthe computing environment 300. Typically, operating system software (notshown) provides an operating environment for other software executing inthe computing environment 300, and coordinates activities of thecomponents of the computing environment 300.

The tangible storage 340 may be removable or non-removable, and includesmagnetic disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or any otherstorage device which can be used to store information and which can beaccessed within the computing environment 300. The storage 340 storesinstructions for the software 380 implementing one or more innovationsdescribed herein.

The input device(s) 350 may be a touch input device such as atouchscreen, keyboard, mouse, pen, or trackball, a voice input device, ascanning device, or another device that provides input to the computingenvironment 300. For video encoding, the input device(s) 350 may be acamera, video card, TV tuner card, or similar device that accepts videoinput in analog or digital form, or a CD-ROM or CD-RW that reads videosamples into the computing environment 300. The output device(s) 360 maybe one or more displays, printer, speaker, CD-writer, or another devicethat provides output from the computing environment 300.

The communication connection(s) 370 enable communication over acommunication medium to another computing entity. The communicationmedium conveys information such as computer-executable instructions,audio or video input or output, or other data in a modulated datasignal. A modulated data signal is a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communicationmedia can use an electrical, optical, RF, or other carrier.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are describedin a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it shouldbe understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement,unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forthbelow. For example, operations described sequentially may in some casesbe rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake ofsimplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in whichthe disclosed methods can be used in conjunction with other methods.

Any of the disclosed methods can be implemented as computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media(e.g., one or more optical media discs, volatile memory components (suchas DRAM or SRAM), or nonvolatile memory components (such as flash memoryor hard drives)) and executed on a computer (e.g., any commerciallyavailable computer, including smart phones, tablets, or other mobiledevices that include computing hardware). As should be readilyunderstood, the term computer-readable storage media does not includecommunication connections, such as modulated data signals. Any of thecomputer-executable instructions for implementing the disclosedtechniques as well as any data created and used during implementation ofthe disclosed embodiments can be stored on one or more computer-readablemedia (which excludes propagated signals). The computer-executableinstructions can be part of, for example, a dedicated softwareapplication or a software application that is accessed or downloaded viaa web browser or other software application (such as a remote computingapplication). Such software can be executed, for example, on a singlelocal computer (e.g., any suitable commercially available computer) orin a network environment (e.g., via the Internet, a wide-area network, alocal-area network, a client-server network (such as a cloud computingnetwork), or other such network) using one or more network computers.

For clarity, only certain selected aspects of the software-basedimplementations are described. Other details that are well known in theart are omitted. For example, it should be understood that the disclosedtechnology is not limited to any specific computer language or program.Certain details of suitable computers and hardware are well known andneed not be set forth in detail in this disclosure.

It should also be well understood that any functionality describedherein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logiccomponents, instead of software. For example, and without limitation,illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used includeField-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Program-specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Program-specific Standard Products (ASSPs),System-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices(CPLDs), etc.

Furthermore, any of the software-based embodiments (comprising, forexample, computer-executable instructions for causing a computer toperform any of the disclosed methods) can be uploaded, downloaded, orremotely accessed through a suitable communication means. Such suitablecommunication means include, for example, the Internet, the World WideWeb, an intranet, software applications, cable (including fiber opticcable), magnetic communications, electromagnetic communications(including RF, microwave, and infrared communications), electroniccommunications, or other such communication means.

The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems should not be construed aslimiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed towardall novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosedembodiments, alone and in various combinations and subcombinations withone another. The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems are notlimited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor dothe disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specificadvantages be present or problems be solved.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principlesdisclosed herein may be applied, it should be recognized that theillustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not betaken as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Rather, the scope of thedisclosure is defined by the following claims. We therefore claim allthat comes within the scope of these claims.

We claim:
 1. A method of producing a curved display for an electronicdevice, comprising: providing a substrate comprising a first curvablesection comprising at least one flat glass member and a secondlongitudinally adjacent planar section; placing the curvable section incontact with a member having a curved surface; urging the curvablesection towards the curved surface of the member; and maintaining thecurvable section in a curved configuration to thereby form the curveddisplay having the adjacent planar section.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the substrate comprises a display module in contact with theflat glass member.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second planarsection comprises an operatively connected LED array, further comprisingmeasuring brightness across the curvable section of substrate and movingthe second planar section relative to the first curvable section toachieve a desired uniformity in measured brightness.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the member is a curved cover lens transparent to UVlight and measuring brightness comprises using a camera directed throughthe cover lens at the curvable section of the substrate, whereinmaintaining the curved section in the curved configuration comprisesdirecting UV radiation on the curvable section of the substrate once thedesired uniformity in measured brightness is achieved to cure UVsensitive adhesive applied between the curvable section and the curvedcover lens.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein urging the substratetowards the curved surface of the member comprises pressing anintermediate portion of the curvable section into contact with analigned intermediate portion of the member and subsequently pressingouter portions of the curvable section on either side of theintermediate portion into contact with aligned outer portions of themember.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the curved configuration ofhas a radius of curvature of about 200 mm to about 1000 mm.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the flat glass member has a thickness ofabout 0.05 mm to about 0.30 mm.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theflat glass member is a first flat glass member, further comprising asecond flat glass member aligned with the first flat glass member. 9.The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a resilient memberin contact with the curvable section and urging the resilient membertowards the member by exerting force through the curvable section. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein the resilient member comprises closedcell foam.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjacent planarportion is adapted to receive a circuit component.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one flat glass member is a first flatglass member, the curvable section further comprising UV curableadhesive and a second flat glass member separated from the first flatglass member by a display module, further comprising subjecting thecurvable section to UV radiation, and wherein maintaining the curvablesection in the curved configuration comprises removing the curvablesection from the member after the UV adhesive has cured.
 13. The methodof claim 1, wherein the member is transparent to UV radiation.
 14. Acurved display for an electronic device, comprising: a substratecomprising a first curved section and a longitudinally adjacent secondplanar section, the first curved section comprising at least one flatglass member bent into a curved configuration, wherein the second planarsection comprises a circuit component mounted to a surface of the planarsection.
 15. The curved display of claim 14, further comprising a curvedmember attached to one side of the curved section to hold the curvedsection in the curved configuration.
 16. The curved display of claim 15,wherein the curved member is a first curved member, further comprising asecond curved member attached to an opposite side of the curved section.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first member is a cover lens andthe second member is an internal chassis element.
 18. A mobile devicehaving a curved display, comprising: a curved cover lens; a substratecomprising a first curved section and a longitudinally adjacent secondplanar section, the first curved section comprising an LCD displayelement having at least one flat glass member bent into a curvedconfiguration to substantially follow the curvature of curved coverlens, wherein the second planar section comprises an LED array operableto illuminate the LCD display element, the second planar section beingmovable to adjust uniformity of brightness in the LCD display before thesubstrate is affixed to the cover lens.
 19. The mobile device of claim18, wherein the first curved section is adhered to the curved cover lenswith a UV curable adhesive.
 20. The mobile device of claim 19, whereinthe adhesive is effective to fill a gap of about 0.02 mm to about 0.10mm between the substrate and the curved cover lens.